1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to imprinting complete checks and more particularly pertains to a method of encoding and printing complete checks on blank paper sheets with data derived from a host program which is designed to use preprinted check forms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past both personal and business checks have been produced by printing presses and the like. Such checks, on their face, include at the least all the necessary information pertaining to the issuing bank and the drawer or payor of the check. In addition, the check also bears a series of magnetic ink characters identifying the issuing bank and the drawer and other information for later processing of the check by banks and the Federal Reserve System. The magnetic ink characters must be located within a specific area on the check. The payor fills in the check number, the dollar amount of the check, the name of the payee and the date.
There are presently available computer programs (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9chost programsxe2x80x9d) offered by various software manufacturers which print checks on a computer printer. These host programs include accounting and related software, and generally require pre-printed check forms as described above. Such pre-printed check forms include information such as the name/address of the issuing financial institution, name/address of the account (drawer), financial institution transit numbers and coded information imprinted in conformance with MICR standards.
Pre-printed checks as described above are generally produced in large quantities in order to lower the unit cost. This, however, restricts any run of checks to a specific bank, one drawer and one account (number). Therefore, the drawer can only issue checks on one bank and one account for each series of printed checks. In order to issue checks on multiple banks or accounts it is necessary to have specific checks printed for each variation. Since business organizations operate under multiple styles and maintain various accounts at different banks they must, of necessity, stock a plurality of check forms. This is both costly and time consuming.
Checks and other similar commercial documents are required to meet and conform to certain standards. One such standard is Standard X9.27 entitled xe2x80x9cPrint Specifications for Magnetic Ink Character Recognitionxe2x80x9d and referred to as xe2x80x9cMICRxe2x80x9d. This standard is issued by the Accredited Standards Committee on Financial Services under the procedures of the American National Standards Institute and published by the X9 Secretariat of the American Bankers Association. The specification sets forth the specific type fonts and special magnetic characteristics of the printed characters that must be used in the printing of these documents.
Laser printer technology has advanced to the point at which special toners and fonts can be used to laser print checks that meet MICR standards directly as outputted from a computer. Presently available computer software programs are capable of printing MICR encoded checks on partially imprinted check forms. Programs are available to produce checks 1) on a stand alone basis in which the check data is re-entered for each individual check, 2) as a separate step for printing checks from a data file provided by a host program such as an accounting program, and 3) by altering the software of the host program. The first method is relatively slow and time consuming. The second method requires that the host program produce a separate file from which data is extracted to print checks. The last method requires an alteration for each new version of the host software. Since such host programs are constantly revised and improved, the check software must be continually updated in order to conform to each new version.
There are a multitude of different accounting programs (host) each of which may include Accounts Payable and Payroll functions that produce checks. In addition to the foregoing, there exist many non-accounting programs such as stand alone check writing programs to name a few. With all these different available programs, it would be highly desirable to be able to print checks on blank stock paper without any preprinting. This procedure would be cost effective in that there would be no need to interrupt a check issuing program in order to insert and align a new preprinted check form for each change of the check preprinted matter. Thus, a user of a computer program which permits the use of blank or partially printed stock paper on which checks are printed, can employ host software supplied by different manufacturers for the printing of all his checks. For example, the user may employ a first program for his Accounts Payable and a second unrelated Payroll program. The printing of checks on blank paper is beneficial for those situations in which programs are updated on a regular basis. This is especially true in the case of Payroll programs since they must conform to the ever changing payroll tax requirements.
A user may employ a single host program to print checks from several different checking accounts using preprinted forms. The operator must stop and align the form for each change of account. The operation may even print a check on the wrong account thus creating a problem since funds will be disbursed from the incorrect account. For these reasons it is desirable to print the contents of a check directly onto a blank paper check sheet thereby eliminating the foregoing problems.
The present invention comprises a method of accurately and properly printing a check on a blank paper sheet from a check issuing host program which program is designed to print checks on a partially preprinted check form. It also includes the proper and accurate positioning of specific magnetic ink characters on the face of the check with a laser printer.
The method of the present invention can be summarized in a method which in its broadest aspect, includes at least the following steps 1) installing onto a computer a host program adapted for printing checks; 2) instructing the host program to print out at least one check; 3) intercepting the initial check data being sent to the printer; 4) identifying the host check data in a row/column matrix array format as such data appears on the printed check and entering such rows/columns into a control file; 5) storing the control file in a non-volatile memory such as a disk file; 6) activating the host program to process its data and to print out checks therefrom; 7) intercepting at the system operating level, the host program print data for each individual check page; 8) building a matrix in computer memory representing the check data from the host program wherein each printed line equals a row and each horizontal print position equals a column; 9) interpreting the intercepted host check data by using the matrix format specification (rows/columns) previously entered in the control file; 10) reformatting the host check data into a check format while directing the reformatted data to a printer; and, 11) repeating steps 7 through 10. Steps 1 through 4 represent a one time initial installation procedure.
The method described above can also be practiced by substituting the following procedure for steps 2 through 4; 2) printing out a host program check on to a row/column matrix array or printing out a host program check and overlaying the printed check with a transparent row/column array; 3) creating a control file and inputting therein in row/column matrix array the printed check data derived from step 2 above.
Preprinted check forms generally have printed thereon the name and address of the bank on which the check is to be drawn, the name and address of the drawer, the account number as well as the MICR information. Where such a partially or a fully preprinted check form is utilized by the host program then only current variable data need be printed on the form to complete the check. The host program should be capable of supplying such current data which includes, at the least, the following current print data in order to complete the preprinted check; 1) check date; 2) payee; 3) dollar check amount; and 4) check number. Therefore, if a check is to be printed on a blank sheet instead of a preprinted check form the following additional check data must be available; 1) name/address of financial institution; 2) name/address of payor; 3) MICR data; and, 4) account number.
By assigning a separate sequential series of check numbers for each bank account used by the host program, the different available bank accounts can be distinguished. Each series of check numbers are made to start with different initial check number digits. These initial digits are indicative and relate to a particular bank account. For example, Bank A may be assigned checks numbered from 120000 to 129999, Bank B assigned checks 130000 to 139999, etc. The additional information specified above for each bank is initially stored in memory or on a disk, for example in a lookup table indexed according to the initial check number digits. The additional bank information stored in the lookup table is read when such bank data is needed for printing of blank checks from a host program.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method for imprinting a check on a blank paper sheet from a host check printing program using a laser printer.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method for the printing of a check from data extracted from a host check printing program.
Still another object is to provide an improved method for printing of a complete check from a host check printing program using a terminate-and-stay resident program.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a reliable, positive and low cost method for imprinting complete checks for various bank accounts wherein the bank account information is linked to assigned check numbers.
Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like references numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.